From muscle to mind: Inside PKL’s latest evolution

The table at the end of the league stage of the 12th season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) reflected the competitive balance that defined this season.

At the top, Puneri Paltan and Dabang Delhi K.C. were separated only by points difference, while the sides finishing fourth to sixth all ended level on 20 points. Ninth-placed U.P. Yoddhas, the closest of the four eliminated teams to qualification, missed out by just two points — the same gap that separated it from bottom-placed Bengal Warriorz.

While the closeness partly stems from the new scoring system, where teams receive two points for a win and none for a loss, it also highlights how no side managed to dominate over an extended league phase. Of the 108 league matches, 48 were decided by a margin of five points or fewer, 27 in the final 90 seconds, and 14 went to the newly introduced tiebreaker. All three meetings between finalists Puneri Paltan and Dabang Delhi K.C. so far have required one.

‘Every team is fighting’

PKL Technical Director E. Prasad Rao felt that this competitiveness was a defining trait of the season. “Every team is fighting, and it’s very close. It was never like this in earlier seasons,” he told Sportstar after the close of the Chennai leg.

“Most of the teams are equal. A team will beat one team, and then lose to another. Then that team will lose to another team. As a result, it’s become a very close contest. And for that reason, every match has been interesting,” he said.

ALSO READ | Explainer: What is the Playoff structure for PKL 2025?

The rise and rebirth of raiders

Raiders have once again taken centre stage in PKL 12, so much so that League Commissioner Anupam Goswami called it “the rebirth of raiders” ahead of the Chennai leg. Rao agreed, though he added nuance by pointing to the steady influx of young talent and evolving raiding styles.

“I’d say raiders today are very different from those in Season 1. Back then, you knew Rakesh Kumar or Manjeet Chhillar would deliver, but in the last couple of seasons, there’s been a new breakout talent every year,” he said.

“Last season, we suddenly found two guys — Devank and Ayan. This season, those two are still good, but now there are two or three others who’ve taken up their spots,” he said.

“Young raiders are coming,” he added. “And they are very agile raiders, not tall and heavy. They are very quick.”

The new faces redefining attack

Among those who have caught his eye are PKL 11 standouts Devank Dalal (Bengal Warriorz) and Ayan Lohchab (Patna Pirates), along with two of this season’s breakout Iranian stars, Alireza Mirzaian (Bengaluru Bulls) and Ali Samadi (Jaipur Pink Panthers). While Devank and Ayan have consolidated their reputations as established stars, Mirzaian and Samadi have earned attention through a string of eye-catching performances.

Rao was particularly effusive about the fleet-footed Samadi, whose 22-point haul against Puneri Paltan was the highest by an overseas player in PKL history. ”What a wonderful game! He is not tall, heavy; that type of game is mostly based on technique, not strength,” he said. “I think if you take an agility test, I think he will be the most agile player in the league. The scoring rate may be different, but see the footwork.”

Defences, Rao noted, have evolved just as rapidly. “Defence has become so strong. Now, your old raiders are unable to score because team tactics and strategies have become crucial. Now, every team has its own video analyst, game analyst, raiding analysts, and defence analysts. They are planning for raiders,” he said.

Rule changes and a new mindset

One of the major talking points this season has been the new rule changes, notably the tiebreaker for drawn games and the simplified points system that awards two for a win and none for a loss.

Rao said the more binary scoring system has made teams far more aggressive. “Now, every match is a finishing match; it is a final. That match is the final for that day, there is no tomorrow,” he said. ”Now it is two points or zero, what do you want?”

ALSO READ | Explained: What are the new rules, format introduced for PKL Season 2025

“No team wants to go slow. You might have seen that even third raiders have started playing less now because of the rule,” he added. “Sometimes they aren’t even going for second raiders; it’s a fully attacking game. Why is this? Because playing slowly won’t work anymore. Teams don’t want to play slow anymore, getting one point to move ahead. The mental preparations and strategy are different now. The coach has to say jeeto nahi toh maro (Win or die).”

Tiebreakers and tactical twists

The tiebreaker itself has prompted fresh tactical thinking. “Suppose Devank is raiding,” Rao explained. “I have to face five raids. So, as a coach, I feel that Devank is going to score anyway, so I might as well give him one point and send him back. I’m safe from giving him a point plus a bonus. I may not give the next player, though; it’s not like I’ll give everyone this.

Or, suppose I’ve already scored two to three points, and I am leading. So, for the next three raids, I give the three points, no problem, because I know I can win. Even giving the points away, I can win the match with my raids.”

He added that teams now train specifically on the baulk line to prepare for the decider.

Rao expressed confidence that the innovations introduced in PKL 12 could soon appear at the international level. “Most of the rules in today’s kabaddi, either international or local, like Super Raids, Super Tackles, and Do-or-Die Raids, are given by the PKL. Even the 30-second limitation, five substitutions, differentiated timeouts, all PKL. PKL has done the maximum in modernising it and making it scientific. This is the first season of the rule, and I’m sure after one season, international kabaddi will also accept this rule,” he said.

Published on Oct 30, 2025